Hopefully there are enough VW40's out there now to support a Calibration Thread. For those who have the VW40 set-up, please share your calibration settings. Hopefully your info will help others get their's set up quicker & achieve even better settings for their setup. Please include your screen info (size and gain) with your settings.

Not at home, working out in Alabama, and so far my VW40 has only been slightly calibrated with the Avia2 DVD, and is pretty much still out of the box. I do remember that the Brightness was around 50 and the Contrast was around 90.

When I get home next week, I will calibrate and add more.

126" BW 2.4 1:78 Carada screen
Around 14' throw
Seating 12-13'

I've mounted my VW40 yesterday onto my old ceiling mount that is 4" off center of my 100" screen. I watched a movie last night and the picture looked good except for the bottom edge of the picture has a slight curve to it while the top edge is straight.

Today I leveled up the projector with a level and manually adjusted the Lens all the way to the right to try and offset some of the 4" offset I have. The results are I still have a slight curve on the bottom edge and I now have several horizontal white lines just above the picture. Since the white lines were not there last night I think this may be caused because of the manual adjusting of the lens. Has anyone else experienced this? Could this be light leakage because of the lens adjustment?

I've mounted my VW40 yesterday onto my old ceiling mount that is 4" off center of my 100" screen. I watched a movie last night and the picture looked good except for the bottom edge of the picture has a slight curve to it while the top edge is straight.

Today I leveled up the projector with a level and manually adjusted the Lens all the way to the right to try and offset some of the 4" offset I have. The results are I still have a slight curve on the bottom edge and I now have several horizontal white lines just above the picture. Since the white lines were not there last night I think this may be caused because of the manual adjusting of the lens. Has anyone else experienced this? Could this be light leakage because of the lens adjustment?

Can you post a pic? Which way is the picture curving? Try centering the image as a smaller image on your screen and see if the curve is still there. What type of screen are you using? Have you made sure the screen is level on the bottom?

Try standing it on a shelf or table or something to see if the curve then switches to the top of the screen.

I've kept my brightness at the default of 50, raised the contrast a bit from 90 to 95. Will be doing a calibration sometime this weekend hopefully. I'm also mainly using auto1 iris, gamma1, low lamp, black adjust off, normal color space and low color temp. I also have a very slight bowing on the bottom of the screen and the picture is slightly wider than the top. Haven't bothered to fix it yet since it's so slight, probably just need to check that everything is completely level and square.

Some results from my calibration:

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40c3temp.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40c3rgb.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40c3gamma.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40c3cie.jpg

Haven't tried to improve the colors yet, that's the next step, but the gray scale is tracking pretty well. Ended up with color at 45 and tint at 51, raised the contrast to 98. Using gamma1 and still going back and forth between auto iris on 1 vs manual at 37%, which seemed to be popular with the VW60 owners.

I've mounted my VW40 yesterday onto my old ceiling mount that is 4" off center of my 100" screen. I watched a movie last night and the picture looked good except for the bottom edge of the picture has a slight curve to it while the top edge is straight.

Today I leveled up the projector with a level and manually adjusted the Lens all the way to the right to try and offset some of the 4" offset I have. The results are I still have a slight curve on the bottom edge and I now have several horizontal white lines just above the picture. Since the white lines were not there last night I think this may be caused because of the manual adjusting of the lens. Has anyone else experienced this? Could this be light leakage because of the lens adjustment?

Oh boy, I was considering the VW40 since I've gone 0/5 on Epson 1080UBs, but now having read these comments about both the VW40 and VW60 I wonder if these problems aren't due to some kind of chronic lens offset issue? I'll need to use the maximum amount of offset in my ceiling install so maybe this isn't really a viable alternative after all.

Anyone else having pincushioning and light leakage in conjunction with the lens shift?

rkphelps - If you place the PJ directly in the middle of the screen (both H & V) so no lens shift is employed, do these problems go away?

I installed the VW-40 about five days ago, and haven't experienced any of the problems rkphelps describes. Mine is centered, so I haven't had to shift the lense at all, so you could be right that that's where the problem stems from.

Out of the box the color was way too green. I haven't done any calibration yet. I'm going to try the new DVE HD Basics when it arrives. Anyone gotten around to improving the colors?

Oh boy, I was considering the VW40 since I've gone 0/5 on Epson 1080UBs, but now having read these comments about both the VW40 and VW60 I wonder if these problems aren't due to some kind of chronic lens offset issue? I'll need to use the maximum amount of offset in my ceiling install so maybe this isn't really a viable alternative after all.

Anyone else having pincushioning and light leakage in conjunction with the lens shift?

rkphelps - If you place the PJ directly in the middle of the screen (both H & V) so no lens shift is employed, do these problems go away?

I've got my VW40 setup with quite a bit of lens shift, as the projector is even with the top of the screen, and the edges of my image look straight and square to me.

I've mounted my VW40 yesterday onto my old ceiling mount that is 4" off center of my 100" screen. I watched a movie last night and the picture looked good except for the bottom edge of the picture has a slight curve to it while the top edge is straight.

Today I leveled up the projector with a level and manually adjusted the Lens all the way to the right to try and offset some of the 4" offset I have. The results are I still have a slight curve on the bottom edge and I now have several horizontal white lines just above the picture. Since the white lines were not there last night I think this may be caused because of the manual adjusting of the lens. Has anyone else experienced this? Could this be light leakage because of the lens adjustment?

I've got the same issue with curvature of the image in the lower right corner. It is minor, but it's there. I, too, thought the problem might be the result of incorrect alignment of my Chief RPA mount. The other three corners are 'spot on'. The VW-40 replaced a Sim2 HT-300+ that did not have this issue. I'm using the same mount in exactly the same position. I purchased it from Jason at AV Science. He performed a QC and Calibration. Until I read this post, I assumred the problem was the mount.

I've got the same issue with curvature of the image in the lower right corner. It is minor, but it's there. I, too, thought the problem might be the result of incorrect alignment of my Chief RPA mount. The other three corners are 'spot on'. The VW-40 replaced a Sim2 HT-300+ that did not have this issue. I'm using the same mount in exactly the same position. I purchased it from Jason at AV Science. He performed a QC and Calibration. Until I read this post, I assumred the problem was the mount.

Johng and rkphelps, don't you have black masking around the edges of your screen? As I said earlier, my VW40 edges are straight, but when I move my anamorphic lens in place for 2.35 movies I get some curvature at the edges, which is normal and to be expected with a a lens and a short throw. I just expand the projected image enough to overscan onto my black velvet screen edges, and no more curved edges. Even when I'm throwing a 16:9 image without my lens, and have straight picture edges, I like to overscan a little onto my masking, as picture looks cleaner and better.

Johng and rkphelps, don't you have black masking around the edges of your screen? As I said earlier, my VW40 edges are straight, but when I move my anamorphic lens in place for 2.35 movies I get some curvature at the edges, which is normal and to be expected with a a lens and a short throw. I just expand the projected image enough to overscan onto my black velvet screen edges, and no more curved edges. Even when I'm throwing a 16:9 image without my lens, and have straight picture edges, I like to overscan a little onto my masking, as picture looks cleaner and better.


Yep, the black masking is in place (Stewart Firehawk). As I noted in my initial post, this curvature was not there on my Sim2 HT-300+. The curvature occurs only on the lower right corner, everything else is straight and true.

I've got my VW40 setup with quite a bit of lens shift, as the projector is even with the top of the screen, and the edges of my image look straight and square to me.

Mine is also mounted with the top of the screen.

Mine is also mounted with the top of the screen.

Mine is actually slightly below the top of the screen. The curvature is slight, only in the lower right hand corner. The image curls up. It isn't a major issue, but since more than one owner has reported seeing this, while others haven't, it should be addressed. I'll send an e-mail to Jason Turk (he QC'd my unit).

I've had no issues with the curvature appearing. I didn't mount my unit until last night, but I have not experienced any difference with the picture. Minimal horizontal lens shift (+-1") from center.

Out of the box the color was way too green. I haven't done any calibration yet. I'm going to try the new DVE HD Basics when it arrives. Anyone gotten around to improving the colors?

Yes, calibration helps with the green, compare the calibrated graph above with the out of the box measurements here:

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40normalrgb.jpg

Green is still oversaturated for me, but at least the gray scale is correct so it's big improvement.

Initially when I pulled it out of the box and watched for the first time I thought I was watching reruns of The Incredible Hulk. :)

Are any of you using the Sony to trigger a Stewart motorized screen? I've got the right plug (3.5mm mono mini plug), but can't get the trigger to work. With a different plug, the same wiring worked fine on my old projector (Sim2 HT-300+). Any suggestions?
Thanks,

Sony's terminology has me a bit confused. I'm using a 16x9 screen. When playing an anamorphic 16x9 DVD, the setting of the Wide Mode should be "FULL", correct? Following that same logic, when viewing a Letterboxed, non-anamorphic DVD, the Wide Mode setting should be "ZOOM", correct?

Also, for any of you about to use the VW-40's screen trigger with a motorized Stewart Screen, be aware that the projector does not appear to have sufficient DC voltage to enable the screen. There are several workarounds posted elsewhere in this forum.

Thanks,

Sony's terminology has me a bit confused. I'm using a 16x9 screen. When playing an anamorphic 16x9 DVD, the setting of the Wide Mode should be "FULL", correct? Following that same logic, when viewing a Letterboxed, non-anamorphic DVD, the Wide Mode setting should be "ZOOM", correct?
Thanks,

johng,

What you are saying seems correct. I have been using "FULL" for all movies, and then if necessary use my video processor and anamorphic lens to fill my 2.35 screen for 2.35 to 2.40 ratio movies. I have not watched any 4:3 movies yet with this projector, but it appears if you do you want to use "Normal" screen mode to watch in OAR.

Just mounted my vw40 on an 8'8" ceiling height w/an 8" column and chief rpa-020 mount. I had to use the keystone adjustment (-25) and it seems to throw everything else off. The edges become straight but when I use the zoom the grid is not proportionate to my 100" 16:9 screen anymore. So I have to adjust the grid so the image is slightly over the black velvet frame. It also seems to pinch the image slightly in the middle. Sound normal?

I originally had a 12" column on it but felt the projector was too low for the ceiling height, so I switched to the 8". Looks much better, but I feel I have to adjust it too much... Any TIPS for a rookie??


OOH, 1 more thing that drives me nuts. Is there a way to keep the lens/focus/zoom/shift grid on for more than 5 freakin seconds so I can manually adjust the mount and not have my kid sit there and hit LENS button over and over and over and over and over and over...............

OOH, 1 more thing that drives me nuts. Is there a way to keep the lens/focus/zoom/shift grid on for more than 5 freakin seconds so I can manually adjust the mount and not have my kid sit there and hit LENS button over and over and over and over and over and over...............

+1

I mounted my projector last night and it was a bitch trying to get the test pattern to stay put!

That drove me crazy as well. I haven't found anything in the manual or settings to keep it up longer. After much frustration I'm set....

where does one check to see the amount of keystone adjustment and lens shift being used? i see people quoting numbers for these two so it must be shown somewhere. that test pattern things is annoying isnt it. later.

Just mounted my vw40 on an 8'8" ceiling height w/an 8" column and chief rpa-020 mount. I had to use the keystone adjustment (-25) and it seems to throw everything else off. The edges become straight but when I use the zoom the grid is not proportionate to my 100" 16:9 screen anymore. So I have to adjust the grid so the image is slightly over the black velvet frame. It also seems to pinch the image slightly in the middle. Sound normal?

I originally had a 12" column on it but felt the projector was too low for the ceiling height, so I switched to the 8". Looks much better, but I feel I have to adjust it too much... Any TIPS for a rookie??

Where is your projector in comparison with the top of your screen? The manual recommends you keep the projector between the top and the middle of the screen on a ceiling mount for best picture quality. My VW40 is even with the top of my screen, and my picture is pretty square without any extra adjustment. You also don't want your projector mounted at an angle, it needs to be level front to back and side to side, and square with the screen. If you've got all that right, then something may be wrong with your projector.

where does one check to see the amount of keystone adjustment and lens shift being used? i see people quoting numbers for these two so it must be shown somewhere. that test pattern things is annoying isnt it. later.

Keystone is a menu option, if you're not using it it will be set to the default (0 I believe). I haven't seen anyone quote numbers for lens shift and I don't think there are any associated with it.

Where is your projector in comparison with the top of your screen? The manual recommends you keep the projector between the top and the middle of the screen on a ceiling mount for best picture quality. My VW40 is even with the top of my screen, and my picture is pretty square without any extra adjustment. You also don't want your projector mounted at an angle, it needs to be level front to back and side to side, and square with the screen. If you've got all that right, then something may be wrong with your projector.

I have the center of the lens 4" above the top of the screen w/a 12" column now. I reset the keystone back to 0 and used the lens shift feature... I still have a bit of keystoning for some reason and have verified everything is level and square.

I also purchased 10, 8, 6, and 4" columns to find out which worked for me and will return the others to HD when I figured out which to use. If I use maximum lens shift it seems like I might be able to go w/an 8" column. Question is: If I do use maximum lens shift will it effect the resolution or PQ? Or should I again use as little as possible?

Question is: If I do use maximum lens shift will it effect the resolution or PQ? Or should I again use as little as possible?

Use as little lens shift as possible for best PQ.

I just ordered a VW40 and was wondering if closer is better or if it should be a ways back from the screen. I have a 106", 1.3 screen and can place the VW40 anywhere from the min distance up to about 16' back. Is there an "optimum" distance? The room is about 90% light controlled. If I put it at the back of the room (16' back) then I can shelf mount it. What is the best calibration disc out for BD?

I just ordered a VW40 and was wondering if closer is better or if it should be a ways back from the screen. I have a 106", 1.3 screen and can place the VW40 anywhere from the min distance up to about 16' back. Is there an "optimum" distance? The room is about 90% light controlled. If I put it at the back of the room (16' back) then I can shelf mount it. What is the best calibration disc out for BD?

Either one will probably work fine for you, and appearance and ease of use in your room might be the best way to decide. I used to shelf mount my projectors, but went to a pipe mount with my VW40 (still near my back wall) and I think the pipe mount looks much better. All that said, closer is better for brightness, and farther back gives a little more contrast. Room aesthetics being equal, with your room at 90% light control I would lean towards closer, as projector bulbs only get dimmer with age

I just ordered a VW40 and was wondering if closer is better or if it should be a ways back from the screen. I have a 106", 1.3 screen and can place the VW40 anywhere from the min distance up to about 16' back. Is there an "optimum" distance? The room is about 90% light controlled. If I put it at the back of the room (16' back) then I can shelf mount it. What is the best calibration disc out for BD?

closer is brighter which normally is better. however, you have a light controlled room so and my preference in the same situation was to mount it just behind the the primary seating. i thought it would be distracting if mounted in front of it. so screen size and seating distance were factors in my PJ placement. later.

two words, high power...i have mine about 15 feet back behind primary seating about 2 ft above eye level, the gain is great, alot of pop.

I just ordered a VW40 and was wondering if closer is better or if it should be a ways back from the screen. I have a 106", 1.3 screen and can place the VW40 anywhere from the min distance up to about 16' back. Is there an "optimum" distance? The room is about 90% light controlled. If I put it at the back of the room (16' back) then I can shelf mount it. What is the best calibration disc out for BD?

Closer = brighter, further = better contrast. Since you have good light control, you may not need all the brightness possible. Also depends on the viewing material, you may want more brightness if you play a lot of games, or watch a lot of sports, etc.

What did you use to do your calibration (sensor and software)?


Some results from my calibration:

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40c3temp.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40c3rgb.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40c3gamma.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40c3cie.jpg

Haven't tried to improve the colors yet, that's the next step, but the gray scale is tracking pretty well. Ended up with color at 45 and tint at 51, raised the contrast to 98. Using gamma1 and still going back and forth between auto iris on 1 vs manual at 37%, which seemed to be popular with the VW60 owners.

I know the VW40 and VW60 both have an adjustable vertical lens offset. However, what is the optimum geometry with these projectors (e.g., projector lens even with top of screen, 10% of screen height below top of screen, etc) ? I would assume this would correspond to the relative geometry between the projector and screen that results in zero (center) setting in the projector's vertical offset adjustment.

I know the VW40 and VW60 both have an adjustable vertical lens offset. However, what is the optimum geometry with these projectors (e.g., projector lens even with top of screen, 10% of screen height below top of screen, etc) ? I would assume this would correspond to the relative geometry between the projector and screen that results in zero (center) setting in the projector's vertical offset adjustment.

The optimum projector placement for the VW40 is centered vertically and horizontally with the screen, with the projector level and square to the screen. The manual says you can ceiling mount (upside down) the projector anywhere from center to the top of the screen without significant PQ issues, and the reverse for a shelf mount (right side up), placed from the bottom of the screen to the center. My VW40 is mounted even with the top of the screen, and I see no issues, it looks great.

What did you use to do your calibration (sensor and software)?

I used the free HCFR software and a Display2/LT probe.

I posted this mini review on the 60 thread as well. I just got through calibrating one of these PJs. It is the first of the newer Sonys I have worked with. I have experience with the 50 and Ruby. Anyway, I was impressed. Let me know if you have any questions.

"Just wanted to let you know I calibrated the Sony yesterday and the results are amazing. I am actually suprised at how good this PJ is for the money. Just a couple of comments.

Grayscale has to be calibrated using a combination of iris on and off and Image Director. The iris pushes red in the low IREs and can only be tweaked with ImageDirector to get this out. Using the Color Temp controls will not do it. I managed to get grayscale looking great with the iris on and off and a perfect gamma curve of 2.2.

Colors are interesting. Normal mode looks to be the best on paper but the colors are off just enough to make Wide mode look better to my eye. I tweaked them both and ended up using Wide mode with the hues adjusted perfectly. RCP can be used to dial in the colors but it effects luminance of the colors too much if you go too far with it. Wide mode allows you to have colors that are perfectly on their correct hues but oversturated. Normal mode gets the saturation better but will not allow the hues to be set perfectly. It is a choice you would have to make but I find that incorrect hues are more noticeable than oversaturation in most cases. When red is too orange or yellow is too orange you see that more often than if red is too deep. Anyway, my preference is with Wide but I may work on Normal a bit more soon.

Finally, On/Off contrast averaged 11,900:1 in Auto1 iris and at a little over 1/2 throw. Lumens are better than they seem in low mode averaging around 450. High mode adds another 30% or so. ANSI is right around 300:1. Scaling and deinterlacing is outstanding. I am suprised at how good it is. I think it looks more natural than the HQV Reon processors that I have seen in any projector and easily as good as any Gennum. I do not know what Sony has done but they finally got this right.

Overall, I must say that I am very impressed with this PJ. I do not know how anyone would want an LCD (any LCD) over this one in this price range. I am very glad I tried one."

Eric, interesting input on the colors. I'm eventually going to have a go at getting mine more accurate, now that I have some hours on my bulb. I also need to find the right serial cable to try and play with the Image Director application, the cables I brought home from work didn't seem to get me the right connection to my laptop.

I have to agree. I just got in my VW40 and with just a little tweaking it looks just about as good as my NEC XG-852 CRT. The Sony is much brighter and dynamic than the CRT but the CRT beats the Sony in black level. No surprise there but overall I find that I like the image from the VW40 better. My wife commented that the image had more depth and I have to agree. The CRT looks great but produces a more laid-back image compared to the VW40's vibrant (but not too vibrant) image.

I was shocked at how quiet the VW40 is. When I first turned it on I thought it was DOA!! That will be a welcome change to all the noise from the CRT fans.

I'm truly impressed with this "budget" projector from Sony. Can't wait to mount it and do a real calibration.

I posted this mini review on the 60 thread as well. I just got through calibrating one of these PJs. It is the first of the newer Sonys I have worked with. I have experience with the 50 and Ruby. Anyway, I was impressed. Let me know if you have any questions.

"Just wanted to let you know I calibrated the Sony yesterday and the results are amazing. I am actually suprised at how good this PJ is for the money. Just a couple of comments.

Grayscale has to be calibrated using a combination of iris on and off and Image Director. The iris pushes red in the low IREs and can only be tweaked with ImageDirector to get this out. Using the Color Temp controls will not do it. I managed to get grayscale looking great with the iris on and off and a perfect gamma curve of 2.2.

Colors are interesting. Normal mode looks to be the best on paper but the colors are off just enough to make Wide mode look better to my eye. I tweaked them both and ended up using Wide mode with the hues adjusted perfectly. RCP can be used to dial in the colors but it effects luminance of the colors too much if you go too far with it. Wide mode allows you to have colors that are perfectly on their correct hues but oversturated. Normal mode gets the saturation better but will not allow the hues to be set perfectly. It is a choice you would have to make but I find that incorrect hues are more noticeable than oversaturation in most cases. When red is too orange or yellow is too orange you see that more often than if red is too deep. Anyway, my preference is with Wide but I may work on Normal a bit more soon.

Finally, On/Off contrast averaged 11,900:1 in Auto1 iris and at a little over 1/2 throw. Lumens are better than they seem in low mode averaging around 450. High mode adds another 30% or so. ANSI is right around 300:1. Scaling and deinterlacing is outstanding. I am suprised at how good it is. I think it looks more natural than the HQV Reon processors that I have seen in any projector and easily as good as any Gennum. I do not know what Sony has done but they finally got this right.

Overall, I must say that I am very impressed with this PJ. I do not know how anyone would want an LCD (any LCD) over this one in this price range. I am very glad I tried one."

Nice review, and I agree as well. I've been extremely impressed with my VW40. I'm surprised there is not more "buzz" over this projector on this forum, as people went nuts over the Pearl last year, and the VW40 is even better at a much lower price. Jason Turk at AVS was right on when he recommended this projector to me, and he did a very nice job calibrating it.

I was able to work with Normal mode a good bit more tonight. I dialed it in a bit better. You can get all the primaries and secondaries spot on the triangle but when doing this, you just lose too much brightness in yellow and green and a touch more than I like in red. All other colors are close enough already that bringing them onto the proper coordinates does not effect them. So I settled with green and yellow slightly oversaturated but perfect hues. Red is less oversturated but the hue cannot be tamed without getting it inside the proper coordinate so I left it a touch skewed. When switching to Normal and using RCP I had to re-adjust grayscale a decent amount. I now have it set up with one user setting for Wide mode with proper grayscale and one for Normal mode and proper grayscale and an RCP settings for each.

I watched a good bit of HDTV tonight and it looked outstanding. Recordings of American Idol just popped. Colors look natural and you could really see Randy's makeup job. CSI was also amazing. Contrast was really good and although the Sony cannot unmask all the dark details, it does a great job in not messing anything up. Lost was also really good but it just has a more grainy look. Could be compression or director's intent but it did not look as good as CSI.

Glad to see this thread starting to get some action,I just got my vw-40 and have been trying to read everything about this proj. for some time now.This really is a great machine,whisper quiet and man the picture is incredible,using ps3 for bluray,and a-35 for hd-dvd.It's nice to see what others are donig and trying with their proj.Any tweaks settings adjustments,keep it coming!! Thanks Jim

I ordered mine on Wednesday from AVS, and these posts are making me impatient!

It'll be my first projector. Always knew I wanted one, but never willing to live with the tradeoffs of price vs. performance until now. These days it's just silly what $3K will buy you! Imagine 5 years from now...

Short digression: I was at NAB last week and went by the Red Camera booth (makers of a clean-sheet design 4k camera system, and introduced a 3k and 5k model for next year http://www.red.com ), and they had a small screening room showing 4k material from their camera on a Sony 4k projector to a 15' or so Stewart screen. I sat on the front row, less than 1 screen width away, and it was jaw dropping amazing. If that's what we have to look forward to, I can't wait!

This week I bought a VPL-VW40, which is at home of my mother-in-law in Miami. I am now in Venezuela and I go to Miami May 17 to pickup. It wanted to know which are the optimum values to be able to calibrate it and if is necessary to buy some Dvd as the DVE or the Avia. Someone can share his values of calibration? Here in Venezuela there is not personnel qualified to calibrate it so I have to do him i ¿some idea of how do it? BTW, I tried to buy from Jason to have it already calibrated but I tried to put me in contact with him two weeks ago and I did not obtain answer, I bought it in J&R Music.

Hi, Guy's have gone to Jason Turks site and did not see the Sony at all, am I missing something on his site?

I am also surprised that this PJ is not popping on other Forums nor here, it seems like a winner.

Hi, Guy's have gone to Jason Turks site and did not see the Sony at all, am I missing something on his site?

I am also surprised that this PJ is not popping on other Forums nor here, it seems like a winner.

AVS doesn't always list every projector line they carry. Give Jason a call or a PM, he will get back to you.

Has anyone tried this projector with a PC yet and on which inputs?
How does a desktop look displayed at 1080P?

I read through this thread and didn't see it mentioned anywhere.

Thanks,
Kevin C. :)

Has anyone tried this projector with a PC yet and on which inputs?
How does a desktop look displayed at 1080P?

I read through this thread and didn't see it mentioned anywhere.

Thanks,
Kevin C. :)

Kevin, do you currently have the PJ, if so how do you like the PQ.

Zapper,
No I currently Don't. But Vann's has a pretty sweet deal on this right now with no interest for 12 months. I am looking real close at getting this one.

My last Digital projector was a Sony VPL-VW400Q.
Imagine what a big jump in PQ this would be! :D

Zapper,
No I currently Don't. But Vann's has a pretty sweet deal on this right now with no interest for 12 months. I am looking real close at getting this one.

My last Digital projector was a Sony VPL-VW400Q.
Imagine what a big jump in PQ this would be! :D

Is Vann's a local store by you. I am keeping track on this PJ and see what the consumer does and then go from their.:D

No they are not local to me. They are on the internet, I think they are out of Montana.

No they are not local to me. They are on the internet, I think they are out of Montana.


Thanks, let me know after you set up how you like the PJ.:D

Has anyone tried this projector with a PC yet and on which inputs?
How does a desktop look displayed at 1080P?

I read through this thread and didn't see it mentioned anywhere.

Thanks,
Kevin C. :)

I have an HTPC, the VW40 works at 1080p/24/50/60. The desktop is razor sharp and zero over scan, which is great. I usually run at 24p for Blu-Ray and HD-DVD playback, the VW40 converts that to 96Hz.

Thanks,
JDLIVE

Never tried to run my PC through my projector, what is the advantage???:confused:

Never tried to run my PC through my projector, what is the advantage???:confused:

Visit the HTPC forum for reasons, a PC can be used as an excellent low cost scalar, media server, home automation and many other uses.

Jason at AVS also recommended this PJ to me. I just watched my first movies on it this weekend. I'm using a High Power 110" pull down. I am absolutely stunned by the PQ and I love the screen. Talk about pop! I thought std def DVDs would not look very good on it, but they are fantastic! I use a Sony BD player. I have not tweaked the PJ at all yet. It looks so good right out of the box I am tempted to leave it alone, but after reading this thread, it seems that they need a little tweaking. Here is my setup...

Throw 15'
Seating 12'
Ctr of screen 4' 8"
PJ height from floor 4'6"
Eye height from floor ~ 3'3"
Max vertical viewing angle 17.4 degrees
Calc error angle 6-7 degrees
Estimated Gain ~2.2
Estimated FtL 26-27 @ 450 lumens

By the way, I also bought a Marantz 8002 to replace my older Onkyo DS595. The 8002 is also amazing. This overall setup gets a 10/10 in my book.

I also just finished installing the vw40 over the weekend. I was nervous about moving away from my Sony CRT projector but after spending a little time with this projector I only wish I had made the decision earlier. Since I opted for the 40 over the 60 I was worried about contrast/black level performance but honestly I am so impressed with the 40 I'm happy not knowing the difference between the two.

I'm projecting onto a 2.5 gain Draper screen that I used with my CRT and the image absolutely pops. I'm running in low lamp mode, cinema mode, and black level high. I should say I have complete light control in my room with very dark walls and ceiling.

I do have a question regarding contrast and brightness. Even though I'm running in low lamp mode, does a high contrast setting impact the life of the bulb? In the CRT world it would affect the life of the CRTs, but I'm not sure here. Thanks!

i dont think the bulb is affected by whatever is on the display, the chip itself is probably more affected like my old Z3 the only thing that crapped out were the polarizers and my lcd optical block before my lamp went bad. Hopefully that wont happen with the newer LCOS wire grid stuff, the z3 chip was old lcd technology from 2003-04, so hoping the new stuff is better

I have PS3 attached to the projector through Denon 4308CI. I have 113' wide cinema scopic screen. I mounted the proj at 14Feet distance. While Zooming the image it would stay forever with the same setting. Everytime i need press the wides. But the 16:9 picture the picture goes beyond screen. So i used a professional installer yet, not getting the results. He took the manual to read at home and come back. Meanwhile i am asking gurus at AVS to shed some light on me.

Constant Height screen is unable to work with the projector. Any advice is appreciated

Some results from my calibration:

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40c3temp.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40c3rgb.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40c3gamma.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jdlive/vw40c3cie.jpg

Haven't tried to improve the colors yet, that's the next step, but the gray scale is tracking pretty well. Ended up with color at 45 and tint at 51, raised the contrast to 98. Using gamma1 and still going back and forth between auto iris on 1 vs manual at 37%, which seemed to be popular with the VW60 owners.

How did you calibrate your PJ?

I have PS3 attached to the projector through Denon 4308CI. I have 113' wide cinema scopic screen. I mounted the proj at 14Feet distance. While Zooming the image it would stay forever with the same setting. Everytime i need press the wides. But the 16:9 picture the picture goes beyond screen. So i used a professional installer yet, not getting the results. He took the manual to read at home and come back. Meanwhile i am asking gurus at AVS to shed some light on me.

Constant Height screen is unable to work with the projector. Any advice is appreciated
The VW40 doesn't do 2.35:1. You need a scaler.

What is scaler? I am trying to zoom and it fits the screen. But when i go back to 16x9, the picture goes beyond my screen.

I remember people zoom the lens manually on the projector and get the results, but i am not sure how on this projector

How did you calibrate your PJ?

I spent quite a bit of time here on AVS and other web sites reading up on calibration and related topics. Then I bought a (relatively) inexpensive colorimeter and used the free HCFR software. I am still learning as there is a lot of stuff I only somewhat understand, but there are many helpful people here on AVS that will answer my questions. You could also pay someone to do a calibration, but I like to learn about this stuff since to me it's as much a hobby as anything else. ;)

What is scaler? I am trying to zoom and it fits the screen. But when i go back to 16x9, the picture goes beyond my screen.

I remember people zoom the lens manually on the projector and get the results, but i am not sure how on this projector

You can do CIH using zoom and lens shift. I'm not sure what problem you're having, you'll have to zoom in/out each time you want to change between 1.78:1 (16:9) and 2.35:1. You'll also use lens shift to move the 2.35:1 picture to fit the wider screen, then shift it back when you go to 1.78:1.

If you don't zoom back smaller, the 1.78:1 picture will be much too tall for the 2.35:1 screen.

I read earlier in this thread some people having some trouble using some of the fine horizontal shift as shown in the manual on approx pages 70 and 71?

Mine is going to have to be mounted about 2" off screen CL. I am going to be throwing a 110" image from about 12 feet back. The manual shows for this screen size I should have at least 6" of shift. My question is do you guys think I will have a problem using only about one third of the horizontal shift?

Vertically I will be within the top of the screen.

Thanks,
Kevin C.

Mine is going to have to be mounted about 2" off screen CL. I am going to be throwing a 110" image from about 12 feet back. The manual shows for this screen size I should have at least 6" of shift. My question is do you guys think I will have a problem using only about one third of the horizontal shift?

Vertically I will be within the top of the screen.

Thanks,
Kevin C.

Kevin - since the manual doesn't address limits to maximum vertical lens shift should a user make adjustments with the manual horizontal lens shift mechanism, you may find vertical lens shift and/or lumens from projector are reduced once the lens assembly is shifted horizontally with the % of vertical lens shift you will need to set CL of projector lens at top of screen.

I just setup a VW40 with a 110" 16x9 screen and opted to shift the screen horizontally to accommodate minor PJ/screen alignment. It worked perfectly. If you have an option, consider adjusting the 2" horizontal adjustment by shifting the screen on its wall brackets.

Joe

Thanks Joe for the post,

I have the option of shifting the screen slightly if I have to. My screen is built in to a hideway slot in my ceiling and if I shift it 2" one way it might be noticeable that it is not centered. Not really a big deal though.

Joe,
How did the vw40 look on that 110" screen? What was the screen gain? I am going with a vutec screen with 1.3 gain.

Thanks,
Kevin C.

Kevin - no problem. I only have a few hours on the projector but did watch POTC Dead Mans Case on Blu-Ray and was quite impressed with the image quality for the $$. Screen is a Carada 110" BW with specified 1.4 gain. VW40 runs in high lamp mode, Cinema, Auto 1 iris (fast). At this screen size, projector is bright (13' from screen) with excellent shadow detail in dark scenes (and there are plenty of them in Dead Mans Chest). Contrast appears best in high lamp mode. Image losses a bit of its 3D-like effect in low lamp mode.

Hello,
Got my projector a couple days ago and got it all mounted. Last night was the first I got to watch it, and we watched a couple standard def DVDs and some HDTV. It seemed alot of the skin tones were a little red....they looked like they had sun burns :) The rest of the picture looked great. What setting do I need to look at to fix this, I dont want to screw up anything else.

Thanks.

Really does this PJ show a 3D affect, where the other PJ don't?Hm, Hm.

Really does this PJ show a 3D affect, where the other PJ don't?Hm, Hm.

I definitely get a 3D effect/sensation with my VW40 at times, especially with the good film transfer HD-DVD's and/or Blu-Ray discs, and I am running in low lamp mode all the time.

I definitely get a 3D effect/sensation with my VW40 at times, especially with the good film transfer HD-DVD's and/or Blu-Ray discs, and I am running in low lamp mode all the time.

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't that what HD-DVD' suppose to do on a good film transfer, with any decent PJ?

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't that what HD-DVD' suppose to do on a good film transfer, with any decent PJ?

Sure, that's what any "decent" PJ with and HD source is supposed to do, but in reality some PJ's are much better at it than others. IMHO, to get the best and most consistent 3D effect you need; 1. Excellent contrast 2. Excellent black level, and 3. Excellent sharpness combined with a smooth image.

are there any generic system wide tweaks i can perform on my vw40? It looks pretty good hooked up to my ps3, and i have it calibrated with my avia II disc. Just curious if there is anything else.

are there any generic system wide tweaks i can perform on my vw40? It looks pretty good hooked up to my ps3, and i have it calibrated with my avia II disc. Just curious if there is anything else.

I'm not aware of any, though I have not been very motivated to look for other tweaks, as I had my VW40 professionally calibrated by Jason Turk at AVS when I bought it. Avia is pretty good, but if you want more than that you probably have to buy better software and equipment to take your own calibrations to the next level.

I'm not aware of any, though I have not been very motivated to look for other tweaks, as I had my VW40 professionally calibrated by Jason Turk at AVS when I bought it. Avia is pretty good, but if you want more than that you probably have to buy better software and equipment to take your own calibrations to the next level.

How are you liking your VW40 now that you've had another month with it? I've ordered one from Jason and he's going to do his QC/calibration for me. Are you running in high or low lamp mode, and what size screen do you use??

How are you liking your VW40 now that you've had another month with it? I've ordered one from Jason and he's going to do his QC/calibration for me. Are you running in high or low lamp mode, and what size screen do you use??

I'm still loving my VW40, and continue to impressed with the PQ as I watch more movies. I'm using low lamp mode, which seems to improve black levels and CR, and still get plenty of "pop" in bright scenes.

I've got over 200 hours on my VW40. Just last night when I was watching "There Will Be Blood" on Blu-Ray, a transition went from a very dark scene to full daylight and I had to squint because it was so bright. Using low lamp, 9' wide 2.35:1 screen.

I'm still loving my VW40, and continue to impressed with the PQ as I watch more movies. I'm using low lamp mode, which seems to improve black levels and CR, and still get plenty of "pop" in bright scenes.

I've got over 200 hours on my VW40. Just last night when I was watching "There Will Be Blood" on Blu-Ray, a transition went from a very dark scene to full daylight and I had to squint because it was so bright. Using low lamp, 9' wide 2.35:1 screen.

This is great to hear. How close is your 40 mounted in terms of throw range? Mine will be mounted just shy of 16 feet from my 106" 16:9 screen. I realize this will cause a decrease in brightness, but it can't be helped. I'm hoping not too much, but if I have to use high lamp mode I will.

I'm using a 106" 16x9 1.3 gain screen and have the VW40 about 15' back and it seems very bright in low lamp mode. That's in a mostly dark room. Only about 50 hours so far. I don't think you'll have a problem at 16' unless your room has a fair amount of ambient light.

I'm using a 106" 16x9 1.3 gain screen and have the VW40 about 15' back and it seems very bright in low lamp mode. That's in a mostly dark room. Only about 50 hours so far. I don't think you'll have a problem at 16' unless your room has a fair amount of ambient light.

Except at night, there is always some ambient light due to the layout of my house and living room. That being said, I minimize it as best I can so it isn't usually much of a factor. I'll probably do what others have recommended: use low lamp mode until the bulb dims over time, then kick it up to high.

This is great to hear. How close is your 40 mounted in terms of throw range? Mine will be mounted just shy of 16 feet from my 106" 16:9 screen. I realize this will cause a decrease in brightness, but it can't be helped. I'm hoping not too much, but if I have to use high lamp mode I will.

Mine is about 15.5' from my 47" high screen, so it's slightly closer and a slightly smaller screen. My room is also a "bat cave", complete light control. I'm guessing you're correct in thinking to start out on low lamp and then maybe have to switch to high later as the bulb ages. Of course, a lot still comes down to personal preference as to what is "too dim".

Do any of you guys have a slight blue haze on the bottom left or top right of your image when displaying black?
It was mentioned in the Projector Central review as being a probably anomoly, but I'm definitely seeing it. (The photos on the review are exaggerated, but gives you an idea of what I'm talking about. I have no idea if the issue demonstrated in my unit is as serious as the unit in the review. I'd have to take a photo with the same lighting and exposure settings as the reviewer to find out - a tall order!)
Anyway, here's the review:
http://www.projectorreviews.com/sony/vpl-vw40/imagequality.php

Is there any way this 'anomoly' can be calibrated out of the projector, or is it a physical flaw?
If I replace the lamp, will it fix it? Or is it something to do with other components such as the panels or lens?

Apart from this minor issue, in general I am very impressed with the unit.

Just would like to have some numbers from you guys, especially on how you resolved the green bias. What settings do you have for watching movies (mine is a 100" white 1.1 gain screen)?

As to your "blue haze", I do have very, very slight "bright corners" when displaying a completely black screen, but they are not blue and really unnoticeable unless you're looking for them.

Just would like to have some numbers from you guys, especially on how you resolved the green bias. What settings do you have for watching movies (mine is a 100" white 1.1 gain screen)?

I calibrated my projector with a colorimeter to get rid of the green. My other settings are low lamp, auto iris 1 (sometimes I use manual), gamma 1. Brightness was left at the default of 50, or pretty close to it and my contrast ended up around 90, I believe.

As to your "blue haze", I do have very, very slight "bright corners" when displaying a completely black screen, but they are not blue and really unnoticeable unless you're looking for them.


Yeah - the irony is that I probably wouldn't be really looking for it if it weren't mentioned in the review. It's a little annoying since I have this image in my head of the overexposed output which is quite stark compared to the Epson 1080UB, but in real life it's far less noticable.
Unfortunately the reviewer kind of leaves you hanging, stating it might be a pre-production issue, or even slight damage from 'bouncing around during shipping'. So there's no real way to know whether it's worth trying to resolve the issue. I could order another unit and have the same, or worse, issues...
But whatever I do, I have to decide within a couple of weeks.

Will getting a third party extended warranty cover replacement of the unit if I were to categorically identify that this is a faulty unit?

Will getting a third party extended warranty cover replacement of the unit if I were to categorically identify that this is a faulty unit?

If it is covered, aren't you covered by the standard one year warranty? I don't think you'd be able to convince anyone 2 years down the road that it is a defect.

I doubt Sony would view it as a defective unit, you're probably better off talking to the vendor you purchased it from.

If it is covered, aren't you covered by the standard one year warranty? I don't think you'd be able to convince anyone 2 years down the road that it is a defect.

I doubt Sony would view it as a defective unit, you're probably better off talking to the vendor you purchased it from.

The vendor I purchased from was Sony!
I have a 30 day return option on it. I might have to use it, but I want to establish that it's a defect, not a common flaw with the unit. (Like I say - it's rarely noticable, but I know it's there.)
Going through the hassle of doing a return and a reorder is not something I want to do on a whim.

The vendor I purchased from was Sony!
I have a 30 day return option on it. I might have to use it, but I want to establish that it's a defect, not a common flaw with the unit. (Like I say - it's rarely noticable, but I know it's there.)
Going through the hassle of doing a return and a reorder is not something I want to do on a whim.

It sounds to me like it's bothersome enough to go through with. I doubt from what I've read that you'll have this (to this degree at least) on a second VW40.

Mine is scheduled to be delivered Friday, and I can't wait!!

I find the variance between the longest throw and shortest is only about 150 lumens (again, that is 1 extreme to the other). So for your setup I don't think you'd really have any issues.

I sent you your report cytotech...let me know if you have any questions on it.
Thanks again!

Thanks Jason! If you hadn't posted, I'd probably not have found your e-mail as it went into my spam folder. Argh!
As far as questions, it looks to me like I have some studying to do. I can't wait until tomorrow, though, I'll tell you that!

No problem. Feel free to contact me if you need anything.

Ok, can someone confirm whether the VW40 will accept a 1080p signal on an input OTHER than HDMI? Silly me, I thought the best way to get 1080p out of my (launch day, non-HDMI) 360 with HD-DVD add on was to use a VGA cable. So off to Monoprice I went, ordered the cable, and with my wife's help ran it down the wall. After unpacking and hooking everything up last night(what an AWESOME picture, btw), I went into my Xbox's settings and chose 1920x1080. No dice. The picture comes through, but the geometry and color are horrible. Any other resolution works absolutely fine, so I got the manual out. If I'm reading the manual correctly, the only way the VW40 accepts 1080p is over HDMI. Is this right???:confused:

Ok, can someone confirm whether the VW40 will accept a 1080p signal on an input OTHER than HDMI? Silly me, I thought the best way to get 1080p out of my (launch day, non-HDMI) 360 with HD-DVD add on was to use a VGA cable. So off to Monoprice I went, ordered the cable, and with my wife's help ran it down the wall. After unpacking and hooking everything up last night(what an AWESOME picture, btw), I went into my Xbox's settings and chose 1920x1080. No dice. The picture comes through, but the geometry and color are horrible. Any other resolution works absolutely fine, so I got the manual out. If I'm reading the manual correctly, the only way the VW40 accepts 1080p is over HDMI. Is this right???:confused:

That's how I read the manual too. I only have HDMI hooked up, so I can't test anything else. You will be hard pressed to see the difference between 1080i and 1080p, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

That's how I read the manual too. I only have HDMI hooked up, so I can't test anything else. You will be hard pressed to see the difference between 1080i and 1080p, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I suppose maybe if I hook it up with component it will send 1080i, but with the VGA cable connected the only option is 1920x1080, and it doesn't specify whether it's interlaced or progressive. So I guess I can't choose.

Funny this should come up today... I have the same issue.
Laptop (running Vista) only has analog out VGA. Plugged into Sony. Recognizes external monitor (VW40) but lists it as a "Generic Monitor". Output resolution is 1280x768 (60Hz and 59Hz ! are available as refresh rates!). No higher options are available.

Is there a monitor driver/video driver I can install to get the PC to see the VW40 as a 1080p monitor and output the magic 1920x1080 resolution?
(Looks good in 1280x768 but it's a bit soft since the VW40 is upscaling the image.)

If I'm reading the manual correctly, the only way the VW40 accepts 1080p is over HDMI. Is this right???:confused:

Have a HTPC hooked up to a VW40 using a DVI-A to VGA cable and the max res I can use is 1280x720. Checked the manual and was just as surprised as you were ;). I used a DVI-D to HDMI cable and was able to select 1080p. Seems the manual is correct ;).

BTW, I dont have an HDMI Xbox either, so Im running that on 1080i.

Have a HTPC hooked up to a VW40 using a DVI-A to VGA cable and the max res I can use is 1280x720. Checked the manual and was just as surprised as you were ;). I used a DVI-D to HDMI cable and was able to select 1080p. Seems the manual is correct ;).

BTW, I dont have an HDMI Xbox either, so Im running that on 1080i.

I take it you're using component out then? With my VGA cable hooked up, interlaced isn't an option.:(
I hear tell of a price drop on or about July 6th for the 360, so I guess I'll pick one up.
Thank you for verifying. At first I was afraid it was my cable or something, but I didn't understand why any other resolution I selected came through fine.

I take it you're using component out then?

Yeah, Im using component for my Xbox and DVD player, VGA for my HTPC and HDMI for my PS3.

Very tempted to buy an HDMI capable xbox and chuck my DVD player out the window to clean up some cables :).

Very tempted to buy an HDMI capable xbox and chuck my DVD player out the window to clean up some cables :).

Well, if the price drop happens, I'd say go for it!
One more thing...
Changing channels on my DirecTV HD DVR (HR20) seems to take FOREVER on the VW40. However, I also just got a new receiver, changing from the Yammy 2600 to the 663 so it could pass 1080p. Now the problem could certainly be in the receiver, as I believe this to be a HDMI handshake issue, but I welcome your opinions on what the root cause is. I set the DVR to only output 1080i to help speed things up and it didn't help.
However, if I get a HDMI Xbox 360, I will move the DVR to component connection. Do you think that will help?
I guess I'll give it a try tonight and see.

Well, if the price drop happens, I'd say go for it!
One more thing...
Changing channels on my DirecTV HD DVR (HR20) seems to take FOREVER on the VW40. However, I also just got a new receiver, changing from the Yammy 2600 to the 663 so it could pass 1080p. Now the problem could certainly be in the receiver, as I believe this to be a HDMI handshake issue, but I welcome your opinions on what the root cause is. I set the DVR to only output 1080i to help speed things up and it didn't help.
However, if I get a HDMI Xbox 360, I will move the DVR to component connection. Do you think that will help?
I guess I'll give it a try tonight and see.

Yes, changing your DVR to a component connection will really help speed up your channel changes. That's how I have my HR10 setup, and it works great. If your connection is HDMI, it has to re-handshake every time you change channels. It doesn't matter what receiver you have, IMHO a HDMI connection to a sat or cable tuner is not worth the extra waiting and hassles. Maybe they will fix this someday.

Yes, changing your DVR to a component connection will really help speed up your channel changes. That's how I have my HR10 setup, and it works great. If your connection is HDMI, it has to re-handshake every time you change channels. It doesn't matter what receiver you have, IMHO a HDMI connection to a sat or cable tuner is not worth the extra waiting and hassles. Maybe they will fix this someday.

Wow, thanks for confirming my suspicions. Component it is, then. That should make my wife happy!


Wait...
If my DVR to receiver is component, but my receiver to Proj. is HDMI, will I still have handshake issues? In other words, do I need to purchase(and run... that's the hard part) 25' component cables to go from the receiver to the proj?
Well, I'll try just the DVR to receiver and see if that improves things, then go from there.

Wow, thanks for confirming my suspicions. Component it is, then. That should make my wife happy!


Wait...
If my DVR to receiver is component, but my receiver to Proj. is HDMI, will I still have handshake issues? In other words, do I need to purchase(and run... that's the hard part) 25' component cables to go from the receiver to the proj?
Well, I'll try just the DVR to receiver and see if that improves things, then go from there.

You should be fine with your projector connected via HDMI. I run everything except my Sat Box/DVR with HDMI connections and they all work well. Besides, even if you have a HDCP "handshake" with other equipment, you only get it at the start of the movie or whatever, not as often as you will flipping channels on a sat box.

You should be fine with your projector connected via HDMI. I run everything except my Sat Box/DVR with HDMI connections and they all work well. Besides, even if you have a HDCP "handshake" with other equipment, you only get it at the start of the movie or whatever, not as often as you will flipping channels on a sat box.
As I suspected, running component out of the DVR to the receiver, and then HDMI from the receiver to the projector didn't help, as handshaking still has to occur. So, on to my "solution."


Rather than running a set of component cables to the projector, I got on monoprice and found a component to VGA cable which I'll then couple with my existing VGA cable since my Xbox doesn't work with it. Hopefully for a total of $5 my problem will be solved.
Thanks for your help.

As I suspected, running component out of the DVR to the receiver, and then HDMI from the receiver to the projector didn't help, as handshaking still has to occur.

That's too bad, My Anthem D2 handles this fine without any hiccups, but Anthem does a great job of updating HDMI drivers.

I hope your latest solution works for you, good luck!

That's too bad, My Anthem D2 handles this fine without any hiccups, but Anthem does a great job of updating HDMI drivers.


Yeah, "Yamaha" and "update" don't really go together it seems. They just put out a new model!
Of course, this little glitch aside, I'm LOVING my VW40. Everything we've watched so far has been great.

Just thought I'd post this, since the comparison review on Projector Reviews states that Sony did not supply a production unit for confirmation.
http://www.projectorreviews.com/Best1080pProjectors032008/index.php

On the second page (http://www.projectorreviews.com/Best1080pProjectors032008/imagequality.php) of the review, the reviewer states:
Sony VPL-VW40 projector:
The pre-production unit I tested definitely had issues out of the box, with some background blue hotspots in the corner. While I never received a 2nd one, I do expect that this would be a non-issue in post-production units. Even so, the Sony's out of the box performance definitely needs work. It is noticeably strong on greens in Best mode. In addition, the darker the image, the more shift towards blue. All of these problems were calibrated out without too much difficulty. Strangely, Dynamic mode was better balanced, but not significantly brighter.

To me, it looks like it still might be an issue.

Here are shots I took with my own camera (Click on image for full size):

http://thumb0.webshots.net/t/50/650/3/8/72/2346308720101055180yPUnCU_th.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2346308720101055180yPUnCU)
VW40 Normal Exposure

http://thumb0.webshots.net/t/50/650/7/47/23/2345747230101055180CxNrxa_th.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2345747230101055180CxNrxa)
VW40 15 second exposure.

So, for me it's a slight issue. But I'd like to know if it's an issue with just my projector, or a general issue with this unit.
Could anyone here who has the ability to take a 15 second exposure post comparison shots? (I'm projecting from about 12ft, diagonal image size: 100").

Thanks!
I have about 10 days left to replace the unit if it's 'faulty'.

That's actually about normal. The 15 second exposure is a bit misleading, because it is essentially exagerating the issue. You can send it back to your dealer I am sure, but my point is that you probably will not find it is much different with a replacement.

Just an FYI.

FWIW, I have VERY SLIGHT bright corners when the screen is black. Even though it's slight, I can tell they're brighter than the rest of the picture. However(and to me this is the important thing) I have never ever noticed it when watching any programming or playing video games. In fact, when the VW40 is displaying an input that isn't receiving a signal and it shows the blue screen, I can't discern any evidence of this. It also helps me to know that Jason QC'd this projector for me, and it passed his QC. I know if there was anything bothersome he would have rejected the unit and obtained another one for me.

That is usually the case with them. Only in extremes (like outer space scenes) will they perhaps become noticable. Most normal watching they won't be seen.

Have these bright corners been seen on the VW60 as well?

Thanks,

Warren

Yup. Actually any LCOS based machines (JVC, Sony, Canon, etc...).

I just wanted to post my thoughts on this projector since I have about 100 hours on it now. I am not a videophile but I couldn't be happier with mine. I haven't had a single issue with it so far. I just received my screen yesterday and was pleased with the jump in brightness I got from going from blackout cloth to a vutec lectric 1 RF 110" with vue-flex pro material at 1.3 gain. This material is really thick and there is not a hint of ripple anywhere even though it is not tab tensioned. I have it built in to a soffit in my basement ceiling. I will try to post some pictures later.

:D

Kevin C.

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/6460/dsci0474js1.th.jpg (http://img65.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsci0474js1.jpg)
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/9052/dsci0473zs5.th.jpg (http://img65.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsci0473zs5.jpg)
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/6930/dsci0472hr3.th.jpg (http://img65.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsci0472hr3.jpg)
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/2369/dsci0471sg5.th.jpg (http://img65.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsci0471sg5.jpg)
http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/1859/dsci0470tl7.th.jpg (http://img50.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsci0470tl7.jpg)
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/623/dsci0468cc4.th.jpg (http://img66.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsci0468cc4.jpg)
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/3757/dsci0467et4.th.jpg (http://img66.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsci0467et4.jpg)

Nice pictures. Curious...is it just hard to tell, or is the projector tilted?

Yup. Actually any LCOS based machines (JVC, Sony, Canon, etc...).

Thanks for your input, Jason. Art from Projector Reviews very kindly and promptly addressed my concerns also. This has saved me a lot of fretting and potential hassle of returning a unit that's probably just fine the way it is.
Knowing that you and many other experts rate the JVC and other Sony projectors very highly helps a great deal.
I suspect no projector is 'perfect' - but it's knowing what can be changed, what is a defect and what is deemed 'acceptable' for a given technology.

Those first few days after making such a significant purchase are quite strenuous!
If this is the only real issue with LCoS/SXRD or whatever you'd like to call it, then I'm sold until laser projection technology is perfected!
At least I shouldn't have to worry about waking up one morning to find a dust blob on my screen or wondering why I have headaches from DLP strobing. :)

I am very happy with the unit in general, and used my Canada Day holiday to ceiling mount it, so I guess that means it's staying!

Will post some photos soon!

Thanks for your input, Jason. Art from Projector Reviews very kindly and promptly addressed my concerns also. This has saved me a lot of fretting and potential hassle of returning a unit that's probably just fine the way it is.
Knowing that you and many other experts rate the JVC and other Sony projectors very highly helps a great deal.
I suspect no projector is 'perfect' - but it's knowing what can be changed, what is a defect and what is deemed 'acceptable' for a given technology.

Those first few days after making such a significant purchase are quite strenuous!
If this is the only real issue with LCoS/SXRD or whatever you'd like to call it, then I'm sold until laser projection technology is perfected!
At least I shouldn't have to worry about waking up one morning to find a dust blob on my screen or wondering why I have headaches from DLP strobing. :)

I am very happy with the unit in general, and used my Canada Day holiday to ceiling mount it, so I guess that means it's staying!

Will post some photos soon!

No problem. All too often we all getting fixated on the bad on things...we are all guilty. All in all, todays projectors are excellent so we need to remember to sit back and actually enjoy them. :)
Congrats!

Some screenshots (click on them for original size):
(Some may look a little grainy due to the camera mode. I'm working on more that are a better representation of what I see on screen.
Note that my VW40 has not been colour calibrated yet.)

New Star Trek 1080p Trailer (note that the blue hue across the center is part of the image, not a flaw in the VW40! ;) ) :
http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/40404/2861313310101055180S425x425Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2861313310101055180FLjpws)

Water Horse 1080p Trailer:
(Blocks on bottom or image are my temporary screen mount):
http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/21284/2209817680101055180S425x425Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2209817680101055180HCLJgw)

A brighter image with more 'expression' :)
http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/41374/2764764660101055180S425x425Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2764764660101055180WdTkOk)

The Planet, Earth:
http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/43600/2463505930101055180S425x425Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2463505930101055180ycMTRa)

Very nice!

Jason,
the projector is tilted slightly up. But the picture exagerates it quite a bit for some reason. I have not had to use any keystone adjustment to get the picture square so I assume it is ok right?

Thanks

Jason,
the projector is tilted slightly up. But the picture exagerates it quite a bit for some reason. I have not had to use any keystone adjustment to get the picture square so I assume it is ok right?

Thanks

From the looks of it...the lens is close to the top of the image...correct? If so, you should level out the projector, and go into the lens shift (press the lens button 3x) and use that. That is an optical shift, not digital, so really doesn't affect the image.

Hello everyone, I've had my VW40 for about a week now and love the image to death.....

I've noticed one problem though that has me wondering whether or not I should exchange it for a replacement model. (I purchased mine from B&H btw).

When a bright image is projected through the lens and I look into the lens from a 45 degree angle I can spot a series of scratches from inside the lens housing in addition to what looks to be an internal finger smudge as well.

Just wondering if anyone could test out this scenario on theirs and let me know if this is a common occurrence? I truly hope that isn't the case considering that the lens is the bread and butter of the projector IMO.

Thanks.

How do I get to the gain and bias adjustments for grayscale adjustments. Is it under COLOR TEMP. -->Custom1?? Trying to help someone with calibration using HCFR. Thanks in advance.

How do I get to the gain and bias adjustments for grayscale adjustments. Is it under COLOR TEMP. -->Custom1?? Trying to help someone with calibration using HCFR. Thanks in advance.

Yep, you would use one of the custom color temps, then you can adjust gain/bias.

Thanks, JDLIVE. I appreciate it!

Hi Jason,

very interesting forum here. Helpful for adjusting projector.
Thank you for tips, the same to JDlive for full measuring!;)

Jason can you give a link to the service manual for further improvement?

I can change to the Service Mode from the projector, but I need more information in detail.

Chris

Quick question: With a PS3, is there any problem with this projector being adjusted for white level? In other words, can you turn up the contrast and blend white (digital 235) with the the just lower than white on a test pattern? I know some digital displays clip everything and don't allow you to do that.

Haven't tried to improve the colors yet, that's the next step, but the gray scale is tracking pretty well. Ended up with color at 45 and tint at 51, raised the contrast to 98. Using gamma1 and still going back and forth between auto iris on 1 vs manual at 37%, which seemed to be popular with the VW60 owners.
JD: Did you set the contrast using a gray ramp or a pluge? I am trying to help someone calibrate their white level and he says that he cannot increase the contrast enough to 'blend' the white with just below white. Is that the case with the VW40? If so I will go the color shift route. Any input would be helpful.

Quick question: With a PS3, is there any problem with this projector being adjusted for white level? In other words, can you turn up the contrast and blend white (digital 235) with the the just lower than white on a test pattern? I know some digital displays clip everything and don't allow you to do that.
Well, I've looked in the Calibration forum and I think I found my answer.

On the Sony SXRD TVs, #1 doesn't apply because they don't allow you to set contrast high enough to clearly lose information that way. If you're talking of the AVCHD in the link below, if that's the case then the third pattern might always have all bars flashing regardless of the contrast setting.
Is that the experience that everybody else has had?

JD: Did you set the contrast using a gray ramp or a pluge? I am trying to help someone calibrate their white level and he says that he cannot increase the contrast enough to 'blend' the white with just below white. Is that the case with the VW40? If so I will go the color shift route. Any input would be helpful.

I used the AVCHD disc, which has flashing bars and shows where the white=235 falls. I had the contrast up to max and it didn't seem to make any difference, so I backed it off a bit, I think it's at 95 now. I've yet to find a real good way to set contrast, it seems to me to be one of those where I just use what looks best. I definitely notice a lack of contrast if it gets set too low, and on occasion I'll notice blown out whites if it's too high, but that's not often.

Based on your graphs posted earlier it looks like you don't have any color shift issues in the high end. The only thing that should matter is eyestrain.

JD: your gray scale looks pretty darn good. How close are your settings to the projector review settings: http://www.projectorreviews.com/sony/vpl-vw40/performance.php#calibration Just curious.

JD: your gray scale looks pretty darn good. How close are your settings to the projector review settings: http://www.projectorreviews.com/sony/vpl-vw40/performance.php#calibration Just curious.

I don't think you can compare bias/gain settings from one PJ to another. I don't have mine written down, but I can look next time I fire it up.

I don't think you can compare bias/gain settings from one PJ to another. I don't have mine written down, but I can look next time I fire it up.
I agree that each PJ is going to be slightly different and that it is important to do a calibration for each one. I was curious if your settings were close to the review basically as a starting point. I would appreciate it. Thanks.

I used the AVCHD disc, which has flashing bars and shows where the white=235 falls. I had the contrast up to max and it didn't seem to make any difference, so I backed it off a bit, I think it's at 95 now. I've yet to find a real good way to set contrast, it seems to me to be one of those where I just use what looks best. I definitely notice a lack of contrast if it gets set too low, and on occasion I'll notice blown out whites if it's too high, but that's not often.
When you ran up the contrast up to max, did any of the whiter than white bars (between 235 and 254) blend together (clip)? Or, was it just the below white bars that did not blend with the white bar?

When you ran up the contrast up to max, did any of the whiter than white bars (between 235 and 254) blend together (clip)? Or, was it just the below white bars that did not blend with the white bar?

I'm using the AVCHD disc that you can download (see the thread on the calibration forum). It has flashing white bars and shows white levels from ~230 up to 255. As you raise contrast, you see fewer of the flashing bars. I have to max out the contrast to get rid of all the flashing bars above 235.

Thanks for the answer, JD. Were you ever able to check to see if your gray scale values were close to the review on projectorreviews.com? I don't necessarily need the actual values, I was just wondering if they were close to the ones in the review.

Thanks for the answer, JD. Were you ever able to check to see if your gray scale values were close to the review on projectorreviews.com? I don't necessarily need the actual values, I was just wondering if they were close to the ones in the review.

Sorry, missed that one. They don't look to be too close. I used Custom 3 color to start with, here's my settings:

Gain: R +6, G 0, B +6
Bias: R +21, G 0, B +5

Sorry, missed that one. They don't look to be too close. I used Custom 3 color to start with, here's my settings:

Gain: R +6, G 0, B +6
Bias: R +21, G 0, B +5
Thanks.

Hi,

I am trying to calibrate my VW-40 using an EYE-one LT probe and HCFR. I seem to be getting a "bump" around 70IRE, anyone else getting this, or have a tip on how to get rid of it?


Also, I am wondering how everyone is setting their "special" settings before starting a calibration.(and I have norwegian menus, so the right name may be slightly different) >>expert settings> Black level boost + Gamma, + saturation?

Big fan of this forum. Found it when I first got my Samsung LN52A650 and tried a number of the calibration settings to perfect my LCD!

Just bought a new house with an existing home theater. This Sony VW40 is already installed. I have never worked with a projector before, and the calibration descriptions on this thread are getting me nervous. I admit I have no idea how to optimize my new projector after reading posts. That graph that JDLIVE posted is like another language to me! Are there menu settings that I can select, or do I need a light meter and a software program to get the most out of this projector. The owner before me was clueless, so I am on my own in optimizing it.

Another important question. My Blu-ray player outputs at 24fps. I have an 120Hz LCD, which gives me perfect vieo as the director intended at 24fps. I see that the VW40 supports 24fps. Is it true that it upgrades it to 96fps? Is this a problem? Is this an advantage? Either way, it seems like extra image processing. Please help me out with this one!

Just bought a new house with an existing home theater. This Sony VW40 is already installed. I have never worked with a projector before, and the calibration descriptions on this thread are getting me nervous. I admit I have no idea how to optimize my new projector after reading posts. That graph that JDLIVE posted is like another language to me! Are there menu settings that I can select, or do I need a light meter and a software program to get the most out of this projector. The owner before me was clueless, so I am on my own in optimizing it.

Well, if you're interested in learning how to calibrate a display, head over to the calibration forum and start reading. :) Or you could hire a calibrator to do it for you for a few hundred bucks. The VW40 can definitely be improved with a proper calibration.

Another important question. My Blu-ray player outputs at 24fps. I have an 120Hz LCD, which gives me perfect vieo as the director intended at 24fps. I see that the VW40 supports 24fps. Is it true that it upgrades it to 96fps? Is this a problem? Is this an advantage? Either way, it seems like extra image processing. Please help me out with this one!

Yes, it does output at 96Hz, and that's a good thing. For film, you want it to be a multiple of 24 to minimize judder. Whether it's 4:4 or 5:5 pulldown is probably not as important. The 120Hz is better because it's also a multiple of 30/60 for video and give you smoother output for those sources, but the VW40 is still capable of putting out a good picture there as well.

I have had the VW40 for a few days now and love it! I was wondering how to save the settings once you change them? I started with cinema mode and went from there. The next time I fired up the projector, the settings went back to the defaults. I can't find anything that specfically saves the settings. I just thought that they were saved upon exiting the menu. What am I missing? I really don't want to have to enter in the numbers every time I start the projector.

Hmmm...they should stay changed. I'm using the user3 profile for my calibrated settings, you could try using one of those instead. What settings were you changing?

I was starting with the cinema settings. I will try the user settings as well. So, just to be clear, if you change the settings and exit out of the menu, they should stay changed? There are no other steps? Just asking because all of my previous projectors, I needed to actually choose to save the settings through the menu.

If you're just changing contrast, brightness, etc then they should get saved automatically. If you're going into the service menu to change things, then I believe you do have to chose to save them.